


Valentine's Day, USS Shenzhou

by Persiflage



Category: Star Trek: Discovery
Genre: Explorations of Human Culture and Tradition, F/F, First Kiss, Fluff, Food, Pre-Canon, Pre-Relationship, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-14
Updated: 2019-02-14
Packaged: 2019-10-28 01:12:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 644
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17777738
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Persiflage/pseuds/Persiflage
Summary: Michael Burnham thinks Valentine's Day is an absurd tradition, but she nevertheless embraces it for the sake of Captain Philippa Georgiou.





	Valentine's Day, USS Shenzhou

**Author's Note:**

  * For [nomisunrider](https://archiveofourown.org/users/nomisunrider/gifts).



> I'm re-watching S1 of Disco (and mostly fuming), and this fell out of my brain this morning. This isn't what I thought my first Disco fic would be!

When Michael learns about Valentine's Day from Philippa at one of their weekly Earth culture sessions, she thinks it's quite absurd, illogical even, especially when she discovers who St Valentine was, and of what he was the Patron Saint.

Philippa seems to agree with Michael, but she can sense that the Captain doesn’t really agree that Valentine’s Day is absurd, so before the next one rolls around, Michael spends all her off hours in reprogramming the replicator in her quarters to produce a variety of Philippa’s favourite foods, and creates a menu for the Captain to choose from.

Then she replicates for herself a long red backless dress with a plunging neckline and slits up the thighs.

Finally, the week before Valentine’s she invites the Captain to dine with her the following week when they have their weekly Earth Culture session - Michael explains that she’s been working on replicating specific Earth foods and wants Philippa to try some of them. She doesn’t want to tip the Captain off, so she doesn’t tell her to dress up, but she does sneak into Philippa’s quarters during the day and liberates a tux that the Captain wore to a Starfleet gala event and secretes it away in her own quarters in case Philippa wants to change.

It’s not a date, though. Even though she spends an hour doing her hair beforehand. Even though there are completely anachronistic candles on the dinner table. Even though she’s been preparing for tonight for weeks.

When Michael opens the door to her quarters to let the Captain in she thinks it’s been worth it, just to see the way Philippa’s jaw drops at the sight of her First Officer looking so ‘stunning’, to quote the Captain. 

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Captain,” Michael says, and offers a single red rose. (It’s still not a date - the giving of one or more red roses is simply part of the Valentine’s Day tradition.)

“Thank you, Michael.” She steps inside and Michael notes a gleam in her eyes as she spots the table, formally laid with a white linen cloth, and shining silver candlesticks, and all the other accoutrements one might expect in an upscale restaurant.

“I - uh - I thought you might like to change,” Michael says, a little hesitantly. “So I took the liberty of borrowing something from your quarters.”

To her relief, Philippa looks delighted rather than horrified, and takes the suit from Michael before disappearing into her bathroom with it. When she returns, Michael feels as stunned as the Captain had looked at the sight of her. It’s not that she hasn’t seen Philippa in that tux before, it’s just that she’d somehow forgotten how good the Captain looks in it.

She assists the Captain into her seat at the table, and proffers the menu, which elicits a quirked eyebrow and a smile. “What’s this Number One?”

“A menu, Captain,” Michael answers, raising an eyebrow of her own.

Philippa laughs. “I can see that, Michael, but why a menu?”

So Michael explains about the replicator reprogramming, and the Captain shakes her head a little, then places her order, and Michael smirks a little because she’d had a side bet with herself that this would be what Philippa chose. 

The food is good, as she knew it would be since she’d tested it thoroughly during the process of reprogramming her replicator, and the company is excellent, as she knew it would be since the Captain is her friend and mentor, and the evening is a success.

She’s stunned to discover just how much of a success it’s been when Philippa kisses her goodnight before she returns to her own quarters. It’s not a peck on the cheek, and Michael is blushing by the time the Captain disappears down the corridor.

Maybe Valentine’s Day isn’t such an absurd tradition after all, she muses.

_*** Transmission ends ***_


End file.
